and then as you know the body was ultimately recovered from there. so i would be speculating to guess as to when, you know, michael got into the vehicle or whether he was there the whole time. >> clothing or anything that triggered that officer that saw something peculiar? >> i can't get into that detail, peter, i'm sorry. >> how many officers including the one that found michael. >> we've identified four. >> reporter: assistant police chief is talking about the michael kingsbury case. earlier he said that the medical examiner had a preliminary autopsy in the case but did not come up with the definite cause and manner of death. that could take some more time. this is what we've learned so far today. more details today about the case of michael kingsbury. the 7-year-old autistic boy found dead close by his home in

the trinidad section of the city. he went missing sunday morning. it triggered an intense police search. dogs deployed. flyers passed out. then last night a startling discovery in a car in an alley nearby. now as the memorial for the young boy grows, so does the concern about his tragic death. >> until they close the investigation or to find out if it was foul play i'm paranoid, i'm on edge and my son can't come out here. >> the kingsbury family lives in this apartment building here. the car where michael kingsbury body was found on a concrete pad over there. just steps away from his home. the car was locked. a police officer had to break a window to get to michael. they say he was found lying face down on the floorboard of the

back seat. the pull up diaper he was wearing when he disappeared found on the car's back seat. sources tell news 4 that the owner of the car told police that she left it open because the battery was dead and the remote didn't work. so who locked the car? was it michael kingsbury or someone else? why didn't anyone see michael kingsbury inside the car during all these searches? sources say at least four police officers say they looked into the car but they didn't see the little boy. again, he was found on the floorboard of the back seat. but he was so close to home. >> just seemed all of a sudden he popped up. wow. that was the sad part about it. the whole time he's right there, you know. >> reporter: so, the press conference continues on here at police headquarters and so does

the investigation into this tragic death. i'll be back at 6:00 with more. live in northwest, pat collins news 4. >> more breaking news right now. the future of walmart in the district is now very much uncertain. news 4 mark segraves live at the site of a store under construction on georgia avenue northwest to explain. mark? >> reporter: you know, jim, this is turning into a high stakes game of chicken between the d.c. government and one of the biggest retailers in the world, walmart. behind me as you said is one of six walmart locations planned for the district, this store on georgia avenue is one of two set to open this fall. but just about an hour ago walmart announced if a new living wage law that raises the minimum wage to $12.50 an hour goes into effect, they will cancel at least three of those stores. earlier today i spoke with d.c. council chairman about the possibility walmart would pull

out. here's what he told me. >> well, i'm not going speculate on whether walmart is bluffing or not. i go back to what the policy is behind the legislation, which is a very basic and not a very high but still a very basic living wage. that's what the idea is behind it. >> reporter: now, i just spoke with a representative from walmart. he tells me if the d.c. council gives final approval tomorrow to the new living wage bill and mayor gray signs it into law they will pull out of the three stores that are not yet under construction. that's on skyland shopping center, gateway center and the one on new york avenue. i spoke with mayor gray's representative. he says the mayor is troubled by this news. coming up at 6:00, i'll tell you what this means for stores like the one behind me that are already under construction. reporting live in northwest washington, mark segraves, news 4.

right now we're hearing for the first time from the only firefighter to survive a deadly blaze at the site of an arizona mountain. brendan mcdonough was a look out. during a memorial service that just ended in the past 20 minutes he read a short prayer then got emotional when talking about the support he's gotten. >> thank you and i miss my brothers. we are here today to remember them. i love my family, all of you that are out there. thank you for supporting me. >> the 19 deceased firefighters were also eulogized by vice president joe biden. he remembered them as the best of the best and offered words of comfort to their family. 1,200 of 1800 people evacuated after a train derailment are back home.

they were forced to leave on sunday after a runaway train crashed and burst into flames. 13 are dead. 37 others are still missing. national transportation safety board chairman and her top investigators are going over every inch of the scene of that deadly plane crash. they are also talking to the pilots and the flight crew and they are investigating reports in san francisco that some of the evacuation chutes did not properly deploy after the crash over the weekend. now on to our weather. storm team 4 coverage that hour. all about some showers popping up out there. we're keeping a close eye on the radar. >> meteorologist veronica johnson joins us with a look on what's going on out there right now. >> at least for today it's just that, showers that we're seeing across most of our area, heading on out of here through st. mary's calvert county. the back edge of the rain, fredericksburg rolling on out of here and one little cell that could blossom into a nasty one

rolling east of cambridge right now towards salisbury, maybe ocean city could get hit with that. could see isolated shower developing until the sunsets back in areas where i'm now starting to see a little bit more clearing in here from frederick, just west of washington, d.c., just north of fredericksburg, we could see a little isolated shower or thunder shower pop until the sunsets just after 8:00. 81 degrees your temperature at 8:00 p.m. upper 70s late. not going to drop much more after that. but stale little bit of heat for tomorrow and what looks like not one but two very stormy days which i'll have the details on who gets what in just a couple of minutes. a terrifying afternoon for this 8-year-old girl. a car hit her as she crossed connecticut avenue here at woodbine street in chevy chase. she went to the hospital as a precaution. the girl was walking with two other children. the car did stop at the scene after the accident. police tell us no charges have been filed and they are still

investigating. we now know seven people died on virginia highways over the fourth of july weekend. three of those crashes from thursday through sunday involved motorcycles. ten people died on virginia roads in 2012. police say they stepped up patrols this year. 10,000 people were pulled over for speeding, about 100 for drunk driving. about 1,000 didn't buckle up and more than 300 did not have child secured properly. more concerns now for cyclists in fairfax county. latest numbers from police out "today show" that bike related crashes are up over the last few years. northern virginia bureau reporter david culver has more on what could be causing riders to pedal into harm's way. >> reporter: two crashes on his bike in the past five years. >> thank you very much, ma'am. >> reporter: fair to say bob of fairfax county knows well the dangers of biking on the roads. his most recent wreck -- >> that was pretty scary. >> reporter: a collision with a

truck. >> the truck was going down lee chapel road and clipped me and knocked me off. >> reporter: his experience part of a growing trend in fairfax county. police released the latest numbers. in 2012 there were 106 cyclists involved in crashes. that was up 25% from the year before. already this year there's been 45 bike wrecks. >> this is aluminum so metal will bend. so there what happens the whole thing. >> reporter: bike manager has a theory for the spike in crashes here in the county. >> there's an awareness if you're near paths, if you live in washington, d.c., if you're near the mount vernon trail and expecting cyclists. but cyclists out here outside of the city and people aren't looking right to turn right. people aren't anticipating there might be someone there when there usually isn't someone there. >> reporter: this bike the aftermath of one of those accidents. >> the seat came off. >> reporter: the rider has a

couple of broken ribs and is bruised up but because he was wearing a helmet he's already able to think about his next bike. in fairfax county, i'm david culver, news 4. first on "news 4 at 5:00" the work to fix the troubled silver spring transit center. montgomery county leaders tells news 4 permits to start cutting out large concrete chunks of the building have been issued. questions have been raised about the strength of those sections. this is just the first step in the repair process. it's not known when work on the larger overall fix will start or when the building will finally be ready for use. it's years behind schedule and millions over budget. get moving that's the call today from about a dozen kids who donned cow costumes to make a point to lawmakers. not to be confused with the first lady's anti-obesity move, get moving is a call for lawmakers to get going on gun safety legislation. the kids and their moms are visiting capitol hill this week

to urge senators not to be in their words cowed by the gun lobby. they met today with west virginia senator joe manchin. it was called the how was horrors. three women held captive for often years speaking out for the first time. but now there's new reaction to what may be next for them. >> plus new details about the health of country superstar randy travis. >> it's waiting game for some people at the dmv. find out why it's

problems for governor bob mcdonnell's son. tisha thompson is at the live desk. >> reporter: just a few minutes ago our northern virginia bureau confirmed mcdonnell's son sean was arrested. it happened this saturday at the university corners area near the university of virginia. the 21-year-old is charged with public swearing and intoxication. this charge is a misdeamnor and comes with a maximum fine of $250. sean mcdonnell was released and will appear at court in august. our bureau just got a statement who says this is a personal matter and success addressed by the family. at the live desk, i'm tisha thompson. new reaction tonight to the video of the three ohio women rescued after more than a decade in captivity.

>> first and foremost i want everyone to know how happy i am to be home with my family, my friends. it's been unbelievable. thank you for the support. >> thank you for all your prayers. i'm looking forward to my brand new life. >> amanda berry, gina dejesus and michele knight appeared publicly for the first time. nbc news kate snow joins us now from new york with more on the reaction to the video and the women's recovery. kate? >> reporter: jim, good evening. this video has really gone viral. it's been all over youtube today, all over facebook and twitter one of the most watched video. this is a video that their representative say the women themselves wanted to make. they wanted to say we thank you for the outpouring of support, for the money that's been raised, there's a funding cleveland that raised $1,050,000 and the daughters of one of the women. it's a testament to their

strength, especially michele knight. she says things like i may have been through hell and back but i'm strong enough to walk through hell with a smile on my face. they wanted to get this out there in part because they know that the world has been waiting to see them and the paparazzi have been trying to get that first photo of these women. they thought let's put something out. psychiatrists say it's them showing they control the story they are not under the control of ariel castro. meantime ariel castro awaits his trial which is scheduled for next month. more charges are due potentially this week. >> powerful message today from three very strong young women. kate snow thanks so much. and for more on the women's statements watch "nbc nightly news" with brian williams tonight at 7:00 right here on nbc 4. veronica johnson is here. what's the latest on the weather? >> right now we're seeing showers making their way out of the area. i think for a couple more hours we could see an isolated shower.

while things are quieting down right now tomorrow at this time we could be a little busy out there weather wise and right here in storm center 4. let's take a look and see what's going on. again that area of green that you see advancing eastward, that's what was over us just a couple of hours ago producing the wet weather, really keeping our temperatures down and at bay for us under the 90 degree mark. right now east of baltimore, east of annapolis headed towards eastern maryland where cambridge getting a nasty storm that could hold together as it makes its way southeastward towards ocean city. more rain around rehoboth and ocean city and northern neck seeing area of moderate rain. so until about 8:00 this evening can't rule out the possibility of isolated shower firing up. look at how cool it's been up to the north. low 80s, 82 in gaithersburg.

around rockville. 86 in leesburg. you got 90 down around culpeper and about 84, 85 where it's been around waldorf, la plata, warrenton and manassas. factor in the humidity, temperatures have been running about five to six degrees higher that heat index temperature. so low to mid-90s your heat index. 84 degrees with showers headed out. by 9:0080 degrees. partly sunny sky, warm at 11:00 with a temperature of 78 degrees. while things clear out for a while our skis will turn over to a partly cloudy sky. by tomorrow morning mostly cloudy. could see areas of fog setting up but then it turns stormy by noon to 1:00 tomorrow. around 2:00 or 3:00 could see a nasty line of storms move through our area where we could be getting a lot of wind and some downpours and for thursday i think our main area will be i-95 to the east and down to the south. you folks around annapolis, prince george's county, st. mary's county, calvert county on

the look out for thursday. so the possibility of seeing some large hail tomorrow as well as damaging winds this area mainly up here in and around that area. then it shifts to the south and east for thursday. our window of opportunity, noon to 8:00 p.m. tomorrow. so you want to watch early. our newscast, amelia segal will be on board to get you started. here's a look at your day part for tomorrow. 8:00 a.m. at 80 degrees. 85 at 11:00 a.m. up to a temperature of 90 degrees tomorrow. more heat. definitely i think more humidity for tomorrow and thursday. 85 the high for friday. friday right now is looking very, very nice and will feel very nice because we'll have some very low humidity around our area. in fact i think it's one of our nicest days on friday, nicest we've had in weeks around here. set up for the weekend not bad. a little bit of heat back and eventually a little bit of humidity for early part of next

week. a happy homecoming for rusty the red panda. he returned to his exhibit this morning after escaping from the national zoo last month and running through adams morgan. rusty got some new rules to live by. for the next week he'll be taken inside into the holding enclosure at night. crews also cutback trees in rusty's exhibit. and electric wires have been installed to keep rusty from trying to run off again. new details emerging tonight in the aaron hernandez murder case. what police found in the home of the nfl player. plus a new way to ease traffic. the plan that could make drivers very happy during the rush hour. plus the washington castles go ♪

[ male announcer ] do you love prime rib? get to your local subway for the delectable, new prime rib melt built fresh from the bread up! with hearty, savory cuts of tender prime rib in an au jus glaze and deliciously melty provolone, bite after bite is prime rib perfection. get it made just the way you say with all the veggies you want. the new prime rib melt. it's a taste you won't soon forget, so hurry into your local subway today! subway. eat fresh.

now at 5:00 we're finding out what investigators seized from the home of former new england patriots player aaron hernandez when they arresteded him last month. espn reports police confiscated two cell phones, three ipad, a video camera and a hard drive from hernandez's home. they also took a scale and dish used to weigh drugs. they took a box of .22 caliber bullets and 33 rifle bullets. hernandez pleaded not guilty to premeditated murder in the case of odin lloyd's death.

>> there's a few more eyes on the washington castles. >> after yesterday's win a chance to make history today. >> reporter: hey, guys. they are a winning machine. almost like they forgot what it's like to lose. two undefeated seasons in a row. yesterday they opened it up. won it. they tie the lakers with the most wins at 33 and now they are going for 34 tonight against the boston lobsters. joining me is anastasia. yesterday that win for you guys what did that feel like? >> well, definitely great to be in the match. it was tough for to us start the season.

i felt like it was quite a lot of pressure for the first match. usually you are slow to getting into the season and for us we had to start 100%. and i think we did a good job. >> your partner in the past has been your sister. what is it like to be on the court with her? >> it's great. she has so much experience, you know. she's a great doubles player. and great to have her on my side then opposite. >> and yesterday before the match you guys were able to go up to the oval office and meet the president of the united states. what was that like inside his office when you had the chance to meet him? >> it's an incredible experience. that office -- okay i saw it last year. but i could only just, you know, look at it -- i didn't walk inside but before i could only see in the movies.

it felt surreal like i was in the movie. and, yeah, he's one of the most influential people in the world. definitely a great experience to meet him. >> tonight you guys are going for it. you're going for 34 straight wins. you said you felt a little pressure last night. what does today feel like? >> i think once we, you know, yesterday we had that win and we all feel a little more relaxed and we kind of know what to expect. i never played that way before but after yesterday's match i think we're a bit more confident how we can play together and so is the rest of the team and i think everyone feels pretty good and, you know, we're all looking forward to the match. >> best of luck, you guys tonight at 7:00 taking on the boston lobsters. for now we're live on the wharf. back to you. >> thanks. waiting at the dmv. it's not breaking news. >> but news 4 is digging deeper

to find out why it's taking months for some folks to get their driver's license. >> big boost for the defense in the george zimmerman trial. find out why the testimony of one doctor could be a game changer. and the president makes a big revelation at a state dinner at the white house. >> frankly i'm

a fast forward through the headlines. walmart is threatening to pull

its stores out of the district. executives at the mega retail chain don't want the d.c. council to pass the living wage bill. it would raise d.c.'s minimum wage to 12.50 an hour. walmart has six stores planned for d.c. just about 25 minutes ago d.c. police announced the cause of death is still inconclusive for a little boy with autism. police found 7-year-old michael kingsbury inside a car a couple doors down from his family's home. investigators tell us there were no signs of trauma to his body but the medical examiner has not determined an official cause of death. we're standing by for a live briefing from san francisco. the national transportation safety board about to give a news conference with the latest on their investigation into the deadly asiana airlines crash. we will bring that to you as soon as it comes in. george zimmerman's attorneys say today the defense could wrap up its case as early as tomorrow. >> zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder. he's pleading not guilty saying

he shot trayvon martin in self-defense. today an expert on gunshot wounds tried to bolster that claim. jay gray is outside of the courthouse in sanford, florida with the latest. >> reporter: good evening from outside of the seminole county courthouse where testimony has ended. the jury heard from a forensic and gunshot expert called by the dembgs strong testimony that seemed to support george zimmerman's account that he acted in self-defense the night trayvon martin was killed. the prosecution had a deliberate push back against this witness. at one point getting him to say that, in fact, the fatal injury could have been sustained as trayvon martin was pulling away from george zimmerman, trying to get away. so that was a point that the state was able to make. but overall most analysts agree it was a strong witness for the defense here today. a second witness was called, a neighbor from the complex that was there the night of the shooting and she, again, identified the voice screaming in the background of the 911 call that night as george zimmerman screaming for help,

something that the defense has made a point of calling several witnesses to the stand to confirm that that was, indeed his voice in the background much that call. the defense also saying today it's being drafted they could finish their case as early as tomorrow which means that this entire case could go to the jury at some point this week. that's the latest from here outside the courthouse. i'm jay gray, news 4. zimmerman has sudden nbc universal the parent company of this station for defamation. the company strongly denies those allegations. right now texas lawmakers could be just moments from voting on a controversial new abortion bill. it would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. among other tougher restrictions, a similar bill died in the texas senate last month due to a 13 hour filibuster by state senator wendy davis. that's not likely to happen this time with plenty of time left in the current session. the house is expected to pass the bill tonight. a senate vote should happen within the next week.

now to a story you'll see only on news 4. dmv delays. people who want a driver's license in the district have to wait months to take the road test. the backlog is due to increased demand and a shortage of people to administer the test. but as mark segraves reports now soon you'll be able to avoid that long wait. >> reporter: outside the district's one and only location where you can take the road test and you'll find lots of people with the same story. all been waiting months to get a driver's license. >> i've been wanting a driver's license since march 27th when i passed the knowledge test. >> it's been about six months, yeah. >> why so long? >> they said there's been no openings so i had to wait. >> i'm speechless on how long it actually takes for us to get a driver's appointment or anything of that sort. >> reporter: part of the reason there's such a long wait list,

two of the five examiners who give the tests have been on medical leave. and -- >> those three or four months of summer are our busiest for road tests. >> reporter: officials at the d.c. department of motor vehicles admits the backlog stretches well back from sumner to october. >> rear still at about three months, if you go right now to schedule an online appointment it's about three months. >> 90 days is terrible. it makes you -- people who took the written test they are going to forget some of the laws and things they learned in the book. i think it's outrageous. they have the money to employ people for this. >> reporter: in fact the district plans to nearly double the number of examiners at the dmv from four to seven but they acknowledge that won't be now keep up with the nearly 8,000 tests a year. so they plan on allowing private driving schools to administer the test as well. the cost to avoid the lines by having a private company test you, $100.

>> the first individual who will be certified to do that should be ready to start going the end of this week. >> reporter: for some the backlog at the dmv is the only thing between them and a job. >> i'm trying to get this so i can go network. it's stressful not having a car. >> reporter: for others the long wait makes a special trip home from college. the long wait adds a lot of pressure once you do get to take the test. >> i'm hoping i pass it this time. i know they said the next time will be like in another three or four months. i'm like i better pass it. >> reporter: in the district, mark segraves, news 4. now in virginia you can take the test by just walking in to a dmv location or have a private company give you the test. maryland has a wait for road test appointments that range from one day to a monthing depending on the location. and d.c. officials tell us that they are encouraging those on the wait list to check in daily

for any last minute openings. country music legend randy travis hospitalized. why there's some controversy over whether he really had heart surgery. plus now we're getting a real look at how the spike in student loan bills is really hurting local students. i'm tom sherwood. sherman avenue in northwest washington used to be a raceway

tonight more than 50 kids ages 8 to 12 are savoring a state dinner they soon won't forget. michele obama hosted them at the white house to celebrate their winning recipes in the second annual healthy lunch time challenge. these junior chefs had a special visitor, there he is, the president stopped by. >> you're making a difference in all the communities and states across the country. we could not be prouder of you. we're really proud of you winning this challenge because frankly i'm not a great cook. and i'm not bad but i don't do it that much. >> he doesn't have to so maybe that's a good thing for others, right? among win thing recipes 9-year-old ingrid of d.c. with a salmon salad. emma of maryland with chicken

mar marsala wrap. sounds good. the cost of going to college just got more expensive for millions of americans. on july 19 interest rates for student loans doubled from 3.4% to 6.8% nationwide. as news 4 zachary kiesch reports zunts say the added dollars don't make sense. >> for a lot of families the doubling of the student loan rate will be the deal breaker. >> reporter: changes in student loan interest rates affect people like this woman. >> the experience overall has been amazing. i enjoy the school and it's a great school. >> reporter: when she's not juggling the demands of school and a part time job she's advocating for higher education affordability. >> loans and scholarships were my only option and taking out federal loans was the only way

for me. i had to work to pay off the rest of my tuition. >> reporter: the student loan interest rate hike that went into effect july 1st expected to cost students $95 million. the effect could be crippling. >> it's going to affect 7 million students nationwide and 105,000 students here in maryland. >> i know the burden and the impact that has on families. your ability to take care of your children, to buy a home, to contribute to the economy are impacted by having a huge student loan debt. >> reporter: for miss brooks it means adding to what's become nearly $20,000 of debt. >> we're considering not going to school at all because we're afraid of having these loans to payback. and how that's going to affect me after school. >> reporter: reporting in prince george's county, zachary kiesch, news 4. in news for your health part

of kais emp smpkaiser permanentn in largo maryland will become the largest facility in the mid-atlantic region. a controversial deer hunt in virginia. >> reporter: i'm julie carey in fairfax city where yet another suburban community is thinking about allowing managed deer hunts. coming up you might be surprised to hear who is pushing the idea. >> i'm liz crenshaw. the most stolen vehicle on the road. here's a hint. it's not car. my story is coming up. >> now that train has moved out our temperatures are starting to nose upward. we got high humidity, very warm conditions out there. your forecast here, greenbelt, maryland, 80 degrees at 9:00.

just a few clouds left around the area. but high humidity could fuel some severe storms the next two

new information about that train derailment in canada. tisha thompson has the latest from the live desk. >> reporter: just a short time ago we learned that canada is opening a criminal investigation into the deadly oil train derailment. at least 15 people tied in the crash over the weekend in quebec province. quebec police made the announcement during a news briefing today. they say investigators have discovered elements that have led to a criminal probe.

no specifics were given but we're told terrorism has been ruled out. 50 people are still missing after the crash. from the live desk, i'm tisha thompson. >> a deer dilemma for another washington suburb. what should to be done about an over population of deer. >> some residents are calling for managed deer hunts. as northern virginia bureau chief julie carey reports it's not hunters or gardeners asking for a change in the law. >> reporter: right now whether it's a park, public or private land, hunting is not allowed in the 6.3 square miles of fairfax city. but the city council is now taking a look at this proposed regulation that would permit some managed deer hunting. the request to permit some managed deer hunting came not from hunters but from golfers. city officials said it was army-navy country club that raised the toiissue to deal wit

this problem. as drafted now deer hunting would be permitted on private property of 25 acres or more like the golf course. only bow and arrow hunting would be allowed with archery stands set up 100 feet away from streets and residences. >> they are dangerous, you know, having the things jump out in front of your cars. >> reporter: this long time fairfax city resident echoes the thoughts of many. she worries about hunting in such a densely-populated community even if it only on a golf course. >> this would have to being a greatly supervised if it's going to happen. >> reporter: but others say bow and arrow deer hunting on private grounds wouldn't bother them. >> sounds like a reasonable solution to what ought to be done. >> i see no reason to get rid of them. there's too many of them by far. >> reporter: several council members have expressed their reservations about the proposal. they will take another look at

it tonight before deciding whether to make a formal recommendation. let's get the latest on that weather out there. been a little wet out there. >> that was earlier. we're looking at storm team 4 radar. make being its way southeastward towards delaware, towards ocean city, towards chincoteague. high humidity and southeast wind not producing any relief. making it feel like 89 degrees right now. we have the heat coming to us from the high humidity and our temperatures that are nosing upwards. by tomorrow morning 70 to 75 degrees across the area. a muggy start for us and i'm expecting a little bit of patchy

fog down to our south. 80 degrees at 8:00 a.m. mostly cloudy. a few showers at 11:00 a.m. to noon time tomorrow. little bit of a break and the possibility of some stormy conditions and some heavy weather around our area. 90 degrees your high temperature around 2:00 or 3:00 tomorrow. so that's going to come right ahead of this line. here's a look at your severe weather potential for wednesday night and wednesday evening. threat for tornadoes low. possibility of hail high. wind even higher. could see damaging gusts from storms that come through and downpours will be producing or give us the risk of seeing some flash flooding throughout the area. i'll be monitoring over the next couple of days, tropical storm chantal as it's expected to make its way into the bahamas this upcoming weekend. with any folks headed to the southeast coast of florida, around miami, even the carolinas early part of next week we could be getting a lot of rain into that area and eventually south with high humidity again for next week. 90 your high for tomorrow. 86 on thursday.

folks we have two stormy days coming to us. then nice weather starting on friday and going to the weekend. albeit a little bit of heat but, again, it is summer around here. now let's check out which stories are trending online today. >> tonight a publicist for country superstar randy travis says the singer has not undergone heart surgery. he's in critical condition with viral cardio myopathy. doctors installed a pump to treat it. it's caused bay virus. travis is in the hospital in dallas tonight. early ear family member had claimed he was recovering from heart surgery. meredith viera is set to host her own talk show. the former "today" show anchor will be the program's executive producer. it's expected to have celebrity guests as well as every day folks. a mix of fun and more serious topics. the show will be distributed by nbc universal the company that owns this station. it's expected to debut in the fall of 2014.

a new truck tops the most stolen vehicle list tonight and $3 million penalty for a debt collection company. >> big news on the grocery front. one local grocery chain is merging with a grocery giant. liz crenshaw is here to explain these stories. let's start with that report on the most stolen vehicles for the first time in ten years. the cadillac escalade does not top the list. according to new rankings, the ford f 250 has replaced the cadillac escalade as the favorite target for thieves. the data shows crooks are six times more likely to steal an f-250 than any other vehicle on the road. the institute speck late that some ford f-250 theft claims are due to equipment stolen from the bed of the truck and the case laid thefts are down due to new

anti-theft technology. the ranks are based on insured vehicles that are on the road. now to a crackdown of debt collection company that was harassing consumers. the federal trade commission announced today that expert global solutions, the largest debt collector in the world will have to pay $3.2 million civil penalty. the ftc charged that expert global solutions broke the law by calling consumers multiple times a days calling early in the morning and late at night and calling even after being asked to stop. if you feel a debt collector is harassing you or breaking the law do file a complaint with the federal trade commission. learn how to do so at nbcwashington.com/liz crenshaw. now on the that merger of two grocery store chains. kroger is buying harris teeter for $2.4 billion. about 55 hard rigs teether stores are currently in the d.c. area. kroger operates in 31 states but that does not include d.c.,

maryland or virginia. when the deal closes harris teeter will become a kroger subsidiary but keep its current senior management and harris teeter stores will keep their names. kroger says there's no plans to close any current harris teeter locations. and by the way i'll be back tonight at 11:00 with a new warning about laptop computers overheating after one local home catches fire and leaves three people displaced. we'll let you know how that goes tonight at 11:00. >> that's a story everyone needs to see. >> a good warning. thanks, liz. not everyone is happy about a plan to ease traffic near the beltway. >> adam tuss

it's a plan to reshape one of the most congested corridors in our region. >> new development is being planned for connecticut avenue between the beltway and east-west highway in the chevy chase links area. >> as adam tuss tells us not everyone is sold. >> reporter: take an already crowded crawling road, puts lots of new development around it and what do you think will happen? >> more people. more traffic. >> reporter: that's the basic debate here along connecticut avenue in chevy chase, specifically chevy chase lake, the county trying to figure out how this area should grow. dennis miles has lived and traveled here for years. he doesn't speak fondly of this

section of connecticut avenue. >> it's a basic bottleneck. sometimes across the street at the lumber yard it takes 15 minutes to get back around and go back into town. >> reporter: but could traffic improve if new development is done right? in other words, would so-called smart growth a mix of new housing and office space with improved intersections and access to public restraint like the purple line and make the ride better? montgomery county council trying to square the issue away today. >> people are saying to themselves, really? we're going to put more here in the context in which the traffic is not so good. >> reporter: most days this is what connecticut avenue looks like. 67,500 cars a day use this stretch. if there's smart planning could the ride really improve? by some county estimates traffic improvements here could shave a minute off the time it takes to get through some intersections but those that drive through here say they will believe it when they see it.

>> it's one of the worst in the country. >> reporter: the county council looking at height limits for new buildings to manage growth. some here say with all the possible negative consequences they don't know why this plan success considered. >> we're talking traffic generators, right? >> reporter: in chevy chase, adam tuss, news 4. next at 6:00 walmart issues an ultimatum to the d.c. city council. >> police officers answer questions tonight about why no one found the missing child until it was too late. right now at 6:00 we're following three developing stories. just minutes ago police released new details about the discovery of a young boy found dead inside car. the national trgtional tran safety board started its news conference. we'll learn what they expect to find from talking to the pilots. >> walmart threatening to leave the district before they move

in. good evening. i'm jim vance. >> i'm doreen gentzler. high stakes poker game, walmart announced late this afternoon it wants to cancel plans to build several stores in the district. the retailer says it's all because the city council plans to raise the city wage tax. mark segraves joins us live from northwest at georgia avenue and missouri at the site of a walmart store that's expected to open in a few months. >> reporter: this is one of two walmart locations that supposed to open within the next few months this fall. six walmarts across the city are planned for d.c. but now walmart has issued a statement saying that if the d.c. council and the mayor approve a new living wage of $12.50 an hour, they are threatening to leave d.c. for years city leaders have tried to convince walmart to open stores in washington. after the big box retailer announced plans to open as many as six locations across the